Afterwards
by TsubameTrebleClef
Summary: My name is Maes. I live in Resembool. It's been many years since Dad and Uncle Al saved Amestris. But there are a lot of things I don't know about.


**A/N: This is something I thought of when I stayed up till midnight pondering and wandering around the house. **

**Disclaimer: _Fullmetal Alchemist _is such a powerful, moving and almost flawless piece of work. I'll probably never be able to create something like that.**

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"Don't do it, Maes!"

"Remember to lock your window at night, Maes!"

"Come straight home after school, Maes!"

I've been hearing these things since I was born, I reckon. Not that I can remember. But it's gotten pretty tiring. And repetitive. You'd think Mum and Dad would've worked out by now that I'm old enough to look after myself.

Resembool's a pretty isolated place. Nice view, I guess, but I don't think the sheep grazing out in the paddocks could be terrorists in disguise. In fact, Resembool hasn't seen a single terrorist since the Ishval Civil War Dad tells me about all the time.

Dad must've seen some really scary things when he was growing up. His eyebrows always knit together when we talk about the military or about how the whole country almost got destroyed when he and Mum and Uncle Al were only a few years older than me. I suppose that must be one of his reasons for being overprotective.

But there's also my stupid name. I've seen a couple of pictures of Brigadier General Maes Hughes, and he looked nothing like me. How can you give a tall and handsome and black-haired guy and a short and chubby and gold-haired midget the same name? Sometimes I think Mum and Dad are nuts.

Mr Hughes was smart and kind. I know that because he passed it all on to his daughter and my friend Elicia. I'm just average. I can do schoolwork. Understand a bit of alchemy. But that's about it.

Mum says I'm smart. Dad thinks so too.

Mum says I'm kind. Dad doesn't say so because he's a man and he doesn't think he should, but I can tell he agrees with her.

Mum says I'm like Mr Hughes. Dad says I'm like Mum.

I think I'm pretty useless. That's all.

Mum and Dad never told me why my little sister Nina and I don't have grandparents. But I don't mind. Something painful and scary must have happened back when they were kids. Someday I'll know. Someday Nina'll know too.

"Maes," calls Mum from the kitchen while I'm thinking all this, "where are you? Come help me with dinner."

I swing my legs off the bed and make my way down the creaky old stairs. Mum's standing at the sink, peeling potatoes. I raise myself on my toes and give her a big hug from behind. I don't think Mum and Dad and Uncle Al got many hugs before Nina and I came along. I'm just making up for that.

Mum turns around, and her mop of blond hair flies over my head. "Careful there," she says, smiling down at me, "you might make me cut my fingers off."

So I let go and start chopping up the carrots. Bang, bang, bang, goes the knife against the chopping board. The door swings open and Dad and Uncle Al come in. Uncle Al has Nina on his shoulders. She's squealing like mad.

Dad walks up to Mum and drops a kiss on her cheek. Mum looks up indignantly. "Not now, Ed! The kids are watching."

"So?" says Dad lightly.

Mum shakes her head, but she's smiling. "You never grow up, do you?"

"Not since then." Dad's eyebrows knit together, but only for a second. Then he wraps his arms around Mum and pulls her close. Mum chucks the knife she's holding onto the bench top so hard it almost cracks and pushes Dad away.

"Not now," she repeats firmly. "Unless you all want to starve tonight."

Uncle Al laughs and Nina starts squealing again, something about how Mum and Dad can love each other without starving.

I smile at Nina. She stops squealing and smiles back.

We might not understand everything about our family. But we will. Soon. And at the moment, we're happy just as we are. Lucky enough to have a mum and a dad and an uncle and a house that always smells of oil and steel and apple pies.

Everything will be OK. It's true that Mum and Dad lost many things in the past. But they still have Nina and me.

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**Thanks for reading! ;)  
**

**TsubameTrebleClef  
**


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